Identifier: gardenersassista04thom (find matches)
Title: The gardener's assistant; a practical and scientific exposition of the art of gardening in all its branches
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Thompson, Robert, 1798-1869 Watson, William, 1858-1925
Subjects: Gardening Horticulture
Publisher: London : The Gresham Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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75), 581 varieties.Fifth Edition (1884), 647 varieties. At a Conference of the Royal HorticulturalSociety held at Chiswick in 1885, fruits of 616varieties were represented, but the total numberin cultivation in the British Islands wouldprobably far exceed 1000, while on the Con-tinent the number recorded is even greater.There is little doubt that quite three-fourthsof these could be discarded with advantage,and nurserymen would gladly have their stockslimited to fewer varieties. One method toattain this end would be to adopt the planof an old trade grower, who classified his Pearsunder the heads Good, Inferior, andWorthless. Amongst the known varieties that have beenlongest in cultivation in Britain the following PEAKS. 99 are still in cultivation, though some of themare difficult to obtain true. Catherine orKatherine (fig. 897) was much valued inParkinsons time, the Deux Tetes, the Warden(Black Worcester), and the Windsor also belongto the same period, i.e. the sixteenth and seven- \
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Fig. 897.—Pear. Catherine, (i) (Langley, 1729.) teenth centuries. The Windsor is, however,believed to be a French Pear of much greaterantiquity. Easter Bergamot, Martin Sec, andJargonelle are also old Continental Pears thathave had a place in British gardens for probably200 years or more, and still retain the characterswhich distinguished them in earlier days. The Evolution of the Pear.—The majority ofthe older Pears were no doubt simply selectionsfrom chance seedlings or wildings, but whetherthe latter were variations from wild stocks orescapes from gardens there is no means ofdetermining. Amongst the most noted dis-coveries of wildings are a few Pears that arehighly esteemed now. Besi dHery, for in-stance, was found in the forest of Hery inBrittany; Beurre Bosc was discovered at Apre-mont; Beurre Diel was found in a village;Beurre Giffard near Angers; Chaumontelle ina garden; and St. Germain on the banks of theriver La Fare, near St. Germain; all of those,with the exception of B

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